SNAP says Penn State and Catholic Church sex scandal are similar

MILWAUKEE- The Penn State sex abuse scandal is drawing similarities to the sex scandal that rocked the Catholic Church.

The survivors network of those abused by priest or snap argues this case with Penn State shares obvious similarities with the Catholic Church scandal.

As Penn State’s former Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky faces charges for sexually abusing children–the university has fired its president and legendary football coach Joe Paterno for not properly reporting the claims.

“The major responsibility is with coach Paterno, with this, it’s all about moral leadership,” says Peter Isely of SNAP.

Isely argues the images of students rioting and supporting the coach can affect abuse victims. “This is the very thing that every survivor or victim has when they come forward this is what will happen,” said Isely.

Isely believes there’s a connection with the sex scandal at Penn state and the Catholic Church.

He argues both institutions attempted to cover up the abuse.

“They have to absolutely guarantee to people that we do everything and we break up this dynamic of secrecy and cover up,” stated Isely

But Julie Wolf with the Milwaukee Archdiocese disagrees, saying, “There’s one major difference in the Penn State case, we had a current active abuse that had been witnessed. The vast majority of the abuse cases that came to the attention of the Catholic Church occurred decades ago, long after the abuse could have been prosecuted.”

The Milwaukee Archdiocese says the current policy is to report any allegations to law enforcement, something Penn State is accused of not doing.